El Nino’s Glory a Hike Away

The small purple flowers are so sticky that in early California days, young women would apply them to their ball gowns as decoration, giving them the name fiesta flowers.

Paintbrush, the fiery red little blossom, has suckers on its roots so that it can steal nutrients away from the roots of other plants.

Not everything about El Nino has to imply disaster. The massive rains, interspersed with sunshine, have painted Orange County’s hillsides with massive bouquets of native wildflowers, and the next month is the perfect time to view them and discover their lore.

For example, the vividly purple lupine takes its name from the word for wolf because the plants were once thought to eat up the soil’s nutrients. Actually, lupine, a member of the pea family, replaces nitrogen in the ground.

A guided walk this Saturday will lead hikers through the sights and stories of wildflowers on a private reserve normally off limits to the public.

The walk is an annual fund-raiser for the Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy, which manages a 1,200-acre reserve off Ortega Highway. And according to Laura Cohen, executive director of the conservancy, hikers on the walks that she will lead are guaranteed to see a wide variety of blooms.

One is wild hyacinth, a cluster of lavender flowers at the end of a long stem. The corms of the plant were eaten by Native Americans and early settlers. Other wildflowers that hikers will be sure to see on the reserve: a native iris called blue-eyed grass, California poppies, sticky monkey, and a delicate pink flower called checker bloom. This also is a good time of year for seeing picturesque creeks flowing with water.

The walk costs $22 and includes a wildflower T-shirt that will help hikers identify the flowers they find. Children are welcome, Cohen said, but they must be able to walk for long periods of time. The hike lasts from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hikers should bring a picnic lunch and plenty of water. They should wear comfortable walking shoes, a hat and sunscreen.

For people not up to that much hiking, Cohen will lead a shorter fund-raising walk on April 18, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Less expensive and probably more fun for young children are Cohen’s monthly family walks. These hikes cost $3 per adult and $2 per child. To get the date and details of the next family walk, call the conservancy at (714) 854-7108.

The reserve is on Ortega Highway about five miles east of the Interstate 5. For reservations, directions and more information, call the conservancy.